1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to recreational and similar vehicles and, more particularly, to the diagnostic testing of electrical systems of trailer or towed vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, the testing of the electrical system of a trailer or towed vehicle has typically been provided by electrically coupling the trailer vehicle to the main or powered vehicle, manipulating the components of the main vehicle, such as the brake pedal, and observing if the appropriate response, such as the illumination of an associated light, resulted from the activity. When the expected result was not achieved, an ohmmeter, for measuring electrical continuity, an ammeter for measuring current, or a volt meter for measuring electrical potential (the volt meter and ammeter typically requiring appropriate electrical power sources) was coupled to the circuit and selected measurements performed to isolate the cause of the failure.
The procedure in the prior art could become complicated. The initial detection of an operational failure in the electrical system did not localize the origin of the failure, i.e., between the main vehicle and the trailer vehicle. Therefore, additional testing to localize a detected malfunction in the electrical system can be required. Thereafter, the use of an ohmmeter, volt meter, and/or ammeter to determine the functionality of a selected electrical component requires electrical access to, and electrical isolation of, the selected component, a procedure that can require either background knowledge of, or access to, a vehicle manual. The testing of electrical components of trailer and main vehicles according to the prior art can require time consuming procedures.
A need has been felt for testing apparatus and an associated method that can test the electrical system of a trailer vehicle and can test portions of the main vehicle efficiently.